I blogged over the weekend about our coon trap, and how we were trying to catch the little buggers.
See – the coons are tearing up our backyard. They climb up in the tree and break the branches, trying to get to the bird feeder. We find the bird feeder on the ground (along with broken branches), sometimes the feeder is broken and all the suet is gone. The other bird feeder that is on a shepherd’s hook will be pushed to the ground, and all the bird seed scattered all over the ground. And the big thing is that they LOVE the squirrel’s corn. The coons either eat the entire cob or simply take it with them. So, we bought a “HavAHeart” large animal cage at Lowe’s and put it out. Saturday morning, we got up and found this:
He was “playing possum” I guess 🙂 He turned around when I came up with the camera:
He was a pretty large little guy. Here he is up close:
I came inside and called the Animal Control number for our local police. I was politely informed that they only dealt with domesticated animals and he gave me the phone number for the Wildlife and Fisheries, or some state dept. I called that number and was told they don’t do that either, and he gave me another number to call. Basically, we played “pass the buck”. I called 4 or 5 places and never got any help, so we gave up on that. Tim, the consummate country boy, said “we’ll just take him up towards the Trace, in some woods, and drop him off”. Hence, we basically just catch and release them.
We caught another one Sunday night and released him Monday morning in the same spot. If they are related, then hopefully they found each other and can go rob someone else’s yard of all their food. Click on the extended page for pictures of the second coon, he was a bit smaller.
Here’s our second coon so far, on Monday morning (he was really scared):
And he’s loaded into the back of Tim’s truck, for the drive across the Interstate and a few miles to a wooded area off the Trace:
And here’s Tim releasing him:
Aww, I know they’re destructive little critters and can be disease carriers and all that, but…they’re so cuuuuute! 😉 What I need is one of those Wonderful World of Disney raccoons that are clean and nicely trained with better table manners than the average dog.
Pictures that steal one’s heart. I’m so glad to hear that you are releasing them and aren’t like some folks around here that destroy the little beasties. This summer there was an “epidemic” of rabies being transmitted by coons and more undiseased ones were probably killed than one’s with the disease.
I don’t like them much myself! But wonder if they will be like other animals and find their way back “home”!!
Or, there may be a never ending supply of them! Hopefully they called out to their friends & family from the cage & told them to stay away!
I’m glad to hear that you guys weren’t bit.
Awww. Its like Meeko in Pocahontas!
Raccoons are both so nasty and yet so cute. That first racoon was a HUGE raccoon, though!
Woo! That’s kind of scary. I don’t know why, but I always have found raccoons to be just eerie little critters. My uncle told us about a rabid raccoon (say that 5 times fast!) that was stalking him a few years ago. He said it would just come up to their back porch window/door and stare at him. I think it freaked him out a bit!
I am glad that you released them back into the wild, though – that’s very sweet of you. 🙂
I was all prepared to be sad, but I am so glad y’all just released them. LOL
I hate racoons. I see them all the time on my commute, dead on the side of the road…….they’ll eat garbage, etc. anything.
I’m so glad you guys are being humane about this. My FIL would have shot them with a bb gun as he does cats & foxes that come onto their lake property. Poor things must be freaked out but I understand you not wanting them tearing up your yard, tress & eating all your bird feed. That stuff ain’t cheap!
Off topic, I still can’t log in. I guess I have forgotten my nicname too? Have I lost my mind somewhere or what?
Oh, they’re so cute! Bring them to me next time! Belle and Katie Kitty and Rufus would love them! 🙂 I would feed them and love them, and………….. Ha Ha
Aww, they are cute little things, even though they’re a pain in the butt. I would have to catch/release them, also.
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